Cima Rosetta, a high peak at 2,743 m above sea level, which in the summer is easily accessible, not only for experienced enthusiasts of mountain climbing but also for people with average form, seniors and families with children. How is this possible? Come and see the Paneveggio Natural Park – Pale di San Martino and to the Altopiano delle Pale Plateau in the Eastern Dolomites, included in the UNESCO list of cultural heritage.
Nature Park Paneveggio – Pale di San Martino
“Majestic and elegant mountains of coral that tower monumentally over the surrounding landscape and yet blush like young lovers at sunset… ” Such a colorful, but also an accurate description of Pale di San Martino – also called the Dolomite Crown – I found on the website of the agency promoting this extremely beautiful area. Why I mention about coral mountains? Well, 300 million years ago, there was a shallow and warm sea in this place, in which corals developed to form huge reefs up to a thousand meters high. After emerging from the water, the reefs were eroded, as a result of which today they are enchanting with various, sharp rock formations, the most impressive of which exceed 3 000 m.a.s.l. The highest peak of Pale di San Martino – Cima di Vezzana – reaches 3192 m above sea level. Pale di San Martino is also famous for its picturesque sunsets. “Burning peaks”, stained with the last rays of the sun in orange or pink, is a fantastic spectacle of nature. That’s how Pale di San Martino presented itself when I saw it for the first time. However, that’s not all what offer the Paneveggio Nature Park – Pale di San Martino offers. Extensive green meadows, picturesque valleys, mountain towns, and excellent infrastructure make this corner of Italy an ideal place for holidays, both in winter and in summer.
Passo Rolle
Passo Rolle is one of the most picturesque passes, not only in the Dolomites but in the whole Alps. The route running through it is a challenge for drivers. The road is indeed wide for high mountains, and the surface of good quality, but the very large longitudinal inclination of the roadway and a huge number of curves 180 ° and larger can cause nausea, while the difference in height guarantees the completion of passing with a headache. Why? The fall in altitude is over 1200 m on the section less than 23 km, from the point Chiesetta di Passo Rolle 1 980 m above sea level. – a small mountain chapel located at the highest point – to the city of Fiera di Primiero with altitude of 710 m above sea level, where the serpentine is ending. The pass connects Val di Fiemme and Valle di Primiero. Before the road begins to descend from the vicinity of the chapel, it first climbs quite specifically upwards from the village of Paneveggio (1 500 m above sea level) from the direction of Predazzo in Val di Fiemme, which gives a nearly 500 m difference in height of less than 8 km.
Along the way, you can meet cyclists who are willing to train on the Passo Rolle road, as well as peculiar attractions such as huge herds of cattle, which in the second half of September – after about three months – finish grazing in the Alpine meadows and return to the farms for the winter.
The town of San Martino di Castrozza 1 450 m a.s.l.
Located halfway along the Passo Rolle, San Martino di Castrozza is the main tourist center of this part of the Dolomites. The town is surrounded on one side with extensive forests and meadows, and on the other, the chain of Pale di San Martino peaks offers excellent conditions and infrastructure for lovers of high mountains – both in summer and in winter. The village has rich tourist traditions dating back to the mid-nineteenth century when the first lovers of mountain attractions began to come here. And from San Martino di Castrozza we will move high up into the mountains, where I’ll show you that the Dolomites in the summer can be a great adventure, regardless of age or form.
Directions to San Martino di Castrozza by public transport
If you travel by public transport, you can take a train to the Feltre, Trento or Ora stations and continue travel by bus Trentino Trasporti up to San Martino di Castrozza. Nevertheless, I recommend public communication as a last solution, the car in the mountains works best because the bus cannot reachmany places, even in the region of Trentino, which is well organized in the tourist region.
An easy trail to Cima Rosetta, even with children
© Visit San Martino, edit Italia by Natalia
Easy trails that do not require high form and the use of climbing equipment. The trail can be chosen by people with little mountain experience – and even families with several-year-old children – there is no shortage in Trentino. Trekking to the top of Cima Rosetta and the Altopiano delle Pale Plateau is the first of this type of mountain routes, which I will show you in detail in the form of photos, maps, drone videos, descriptions and gastronomic recommendations on the trails. Why is the peak of Cima Rosetta, which is more than 200 m higher than the highest peak in Poland, so easily reachable? Because there are two cable cars connected to each other, thanks to which only 100 m is possible to go up the hill. In the center of San Martino di Castrozza there is a large car park at the lower station of the cable car. Funivia Colverde brings you to the Rifugio Colverde intermediate station, from which you can take the Funivia Rosetta railway to the Rifugio Funivia Rosetta station or walk towards Cima Rosetta and the Altopiano delle Pale plateau, but also in the opposite direction, for example to the two highest peaks Pale di San Martino, three-thousanders Cimon della Palla and Cima della Vezzana. Tickets for the cable car are available in a variety of configurations, which are not easy to catch. Below I present the current price list as at the day of writing the text for journeys on the whole route, concerning tickets bought immediately for both parts.
Entry uphill San Martino di Castrozza – Colverde – Rosetta
- Adult – 15 euro
- Junior – 11 euro
- Baby – 9 euro
Return down the San Martino di Castrozza – Colverde – Rosetta
- Adult – 13 euro
- Junior – 10 euro
- Baby – 9 euro
Combined ticket San Martino di Castrozza – Colverde – Rosetta up and down
- Adult – 25 euro
- Junior – 18 euro
- Baby – 14 euro
The division into age categories:
- Adult > 15 roku życia
- Junior 9 – 14 lat
- Child from 1 m tall or up to 8 years old
- Children up to 1 m tall ride free of charge
Other fees:
- Bike – 5 euro
- Transportation of large backpacks – 3 euros
- dog on a leash and muzzle – 3 euro
Dates and opening hours:
Queues in 2018 were open from June 13th to September 23rd and on weekends September 29-30, October 6-7 and October 13-14. Opening hours:
- San Martino di Castrozza – Colverde 8:10 -16:45
- Colverde – Rosetta 8:20-16:40 (closed 13:00-13:40)
- Last ride from San Martino di Castrozza 15:50
- Last ride from Rosetta 16:40
From August 4 to August 26, the queues are open until 17:45 Colverde and 17:30 Rosetta, the last exit from Rosetta at 16:50.
Attention! Current times, dates and prices are always worth checking on the website sanmartino.com
Cable car San Martino di Castrozza – Colverde
We cover the first stage with a bucket railway to the Colverde hut, from which several routes begin. Entry only on this section is as follows:
Up the hill
- Adult – 10 euro
- Junior – 7 euro
- Baby – 6 euro
Down the hill
- Adult – 8,50 euro
- Junior – 6 euro
- Baby – 5 euro
Ticket combined up and down the hill
- Adult – 15 euro
- Junior – 11 euro
- Baby – 9 euro
Shelter Rifugio Colverde 1 965 m. a.s.l. – intermediate station
The Colverde shelter is not just a place where we change the cable car. You can have dinner here or drink coffee on the terrace with a beautiful view of the mountains. When you get off the bucket cable car, pass the shelter to reach the Rosetta funicular station.
Cable car Colverde – Rosetta
From the Rifugio Colverde intermediate station to the Rifugio Funivia Rosetta terminal station, is a gondola lift that takes on board up to several dozen people at a time. It climbs very steeply up, and the views are breathtaking right at this stage. Entry only on this section is as follows:
Up the hill
- Adult – 11 euro
- Junior – 9 euro
- Baby – 7 euro
Down the hill
- Adult – 9,50 euro
- Junior – 7 euro
- Baby – 6 euro
Ticket combined up and down the hill
- Adult – 17 euro
- Junior – 12 euro
- Baby – 9 euro
Shelter Funivia Rosetta 2 641 m. a.s.l. and the Altopiano delle Pale Plateau
Getting off the gondola and leaving the walls of the Funivia Rosetta shelter, we are on the Altopiano delle Pale – the Pale Plateau considered as the jewel of the Paneveggio Natural Park – Pale di San Martino, whose average height is 2,700 m. This stone area of about fifty square kilometers and almost a lunar landscape attracts as much as a magnet, both tourists and experienced lovers of mountain hiking. From here starts many trails, not only to the peak of Cima Rosetta but also at the small lake Lago Pradidali or to the summit of Cima Fradusta (2,939 m above sea level) and the glacier Ghiacciaio Fradusta.
Trekking on Cima della Rosetta 2 743 m a.s.l.
From the cable car station, suspended on the edge of the rock (pictured above), the path to the top of Cima Rosetta begins. The trail is easy, although tiring because it leads quite sharply uphill. Not counting the last fragment, the path does not approach the edge of the abyss, and the only one I find difficult to approach are stones underfoot on which you can slip. If you go here with children, I advise to discourage taking a trip shortly after the rain, because the slippery ground can be problematic for kids. The approach requires overcoming a height difference of less than 100 m. Point 2 743 m above sea level it is a fragment of the rock protruding as the highest, which is outside of the path. It is marked with a large, steel cross. To reach the summit, you should climb this rock about 10 m up. During our climb, a group of older people was on the mountain, as well as a couple with two-year-olds kids who sroked our Gucia on the top of Cima Rosetta. Both children and seniors coped without a problem, stopping along the way several times, but it’s normal. We also stopped several times to take pictures or drink some water. The views – both from the path and from the top – are absolutely fantastic. On the one hand, you can see the Pale Plateau, on the other hand, Passo Rolle and the small town of San Martino di Castrozza. Of course, when we’re thinking about a trip with children, I’m not saying that you can let them go in such a place. On the contrary, especially in the upper part of the path, holding the hand is absolutely necessary for a couple of years, while a child within two years I would not take on such route unless in a special carrier.
The beginning of the route to Cima Rosetta at the cable car station
Altopiano delle Pale (Pale Plateau) and in the distance Rifugio Rosetta
A piece of rock that you must climb to get to the top
Via Altopiano delle Pale to the Rifugio Rosetta 2 578 m a.s.l.
What can you do after leaving the summit of Cima Rosetta? For example, eat a dinner. We can choose between Rifugio Funivia Rosetta, the upper station of the cable car, the Rifugio Colverde intermediate station or the Altopiano delle Pale shelter. We’ve just set out for a walk around the Pale Plateau with a dinner right next to the border with the Veneto region, which is a bit further. The sharp peaks that can be seen in the image below on the background of the plateau are no longer in Trentino. What can you eat? Of course, the specialties of the local cuisine, which include various meats, mushrooms, polenta and potatoes popular in this part of Italy. There is also a list of wines and beer, just to relax after the hardships of trekking. I put the menu below on one of the photos. Please pay attention to the beautiful, almost clear sky, which we left when going down with Cima Rosetta and entering the hostel.
Altopiano delle Pale (Plateau Plateau) seen from the path on Cima Rosetta
Path through the Pale Plateau to the Rifugio Rosetta shelter
A bit behind the Rifugio Rosetta shelter runs the border between the regions of Trento – Upper Adige, and the Venetian Veneto
Watch out for sudden changes in the weather in the mountains!
Exactly. Our dinner lasted perhaps an hour, during which there wasn’t much left of the beautiful blue sky, and the sharp peaks decorated from time to time with a stray cloud were covered with dense clouds. Above the top of Cima Rosetta, the same one on which we took such cool pictures. I know that writing about the right clothes in the mountains is a cliché, but unfortunately, all the time the television informs about the clowns who went to high Polish mountains Rysy or Giewont in flip-flops and shorts, not having warm clothing in a store. Ever since I saw women climbing uphill in flip-flops to Vesuvius, there’s nothing that can surprise me. That’s why I’m very sensitive, we go out in the long pants (or having them for a changed in a backpack), full up heel trekking shoes and always with a jacket protecting against the strong wind. Doesn’t matter when leaving the hotel in the morning comes out the sun is burning and the heat is pouring from the sky. I have already written about this in the post about Monte Baldo on the Lake Gara, where the temperature at the top is always a dozen degrees lower than at the bottom in Malcesine. Still words about the time of the day. It is better to get up early and go out on the trails in the morning because then it is usually more cheerful. In the afternoons, the weather often breaks, although of course, this is not the rule.
Cima Rosetta and Altopiano delle Pale from a bird’s eye view. Italia by the drone
Prejudice the interesting questions. Just like in the Adamello di Brenta Nature Park, also in Paneveggio – Pale di San Martino we had permission to fly the drone and made a movies. In Italian national parks, and in the case of Trentino in nature parks (the autonomous region does not have national parks) it is required. San Martino approaches the drone subject very rigorously and although we stayed there at the invitation of the region to collect materials and then describe these places for you, and our drone is not a toy, but a professional equipment, the issue of permits was longtime on the list and we did not have it until the last moment, so we wasn’t sure we’ll do anything at all in this part of Trentino. After all, after completing the formalities during filming at Altopiano delle Pale and Cima Rosetta, we were accompanied by a licensed park guide.
Dolomites in September
Weather in the Dolomites in the second half of September
Paradoxically, September is considered a better time to have a trekking in the Dolomites than in July and August. In these two months, heat often teases and contributes to frequent storms in the afternoons. This information is heard, not confirmed personally, because we have been missing Italy for a few years in July and August. We prefer to enjoy the summer in Poland. What weather did we have? Between 13th and 30th September 2018 the weather was amazing. In Pale di San Martino, we found one cloudy day, in Val di Fassa half a day with rain, and maybe two days with partial cloud cover around Madonna di Campiglio. In addition, the sun was shining all the time, the temperature was very pleasant, just in time for mountain treks. In the mountains we usually walked in long-sleeved sweatshirts, only occasionally taking out windbreakers from backpacks. Although it is the second half of September, the sun can specifically burn the face and other exposed parts of the body. Remember this and use a cream with a high filter each time. On the other hand, I heard stories about a half-meter layer of snow, which in August a year earlier fell in Val di Fassa at the rate of 2 thousand. meters. Therefore, regardless of the time of year, always have warm shoes and a warm jacket when going to high mountains.
Cable cars in Trentino at the end of September
A few words about cable cars, on which my thesis is largely based, that Trentino in the summer is a lot of easy routes suitable for people without high form and families with children. Indeed, the cable cars allow entry into high parts of the mountains, where you can continue the trip in the form of easy trekking, almost horizontally or only on a small approach, as in the case of Cima Rosetta. The problem is that the cable car season ends just in September. Some of them are closed already in the middle of the month, the rest in the second half of September. Why is this happening? The Dolomites have two peaks of seasons: summer and winter. Each year, the queues are subjected to technical inspection and maintenance, and the employees who serve them also have to go on holiday. For this reason, since mid-September, not only that most queues and chairlifts cease to operate until the beginning of the ski season, then some hotels are closed. This is a great loss because the end of September and the beginning of October in terms of weather are very good periods for mountain hiking. When planning a trip to the Dolomites on the turn of September and October, check each time whether the cable or cableway that is interesting to you will be open.
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All the best
Natalia
The post was created in cooperation with the Trentino Region
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thank you so much for your blog. i have enjoyed reading about your adventures. i used this one in particular to plan our overnight in the dolomites. we planned on one night, but may end up staying longer. we are going to do this cable car trek, as you described it. i have also been looking at the information you show for Tuscany. we did already book one night there, but for the stops along the way, I am going to read your blog. we are driving from Brindisi to Tropea to cinque terra to dolomites to lake como to milan! lots to see. thanks again, i really like your blog! happy trails!